And so begins my third week....

    Let us see....what can I write about in this entry...Not much happened this past week that was extremely interesting so this blog entry will be quite random.
    Last week was my first full week of classes. Anything that could go wrong seemed to during that period. Between my camera not cooperating, my Spanish homework access code not working, and just the general stress about the first week, it proved to be quite a trying time. Things are much better now and I look forward to the rest of the semester (as long as my camera behaves. =P)
    So, I have found a new thing that I love....and that is stuff with mangoes. I absolutely love mango juice. Did I mention that pretty much any juice you get here is fresh? My host mom makes fresh juice almost everyday. However, my absolute favorite thing is mango ice cream. =) It is so delicious. There is this little ice cream/cafe place near my campus and the ice cream there tastes so fresh. Today, I had extremely delicious strawberry ice cream. Even though I love the mango flavor, I think my goal is to try almost every flavor they have. (I say almost because I know there are some flavors that I won't like...but maybe I should still try them.)
     Another interesting note is that soda sizes here are much smaller. The largest soda you can get anywhere (if it is even available) is a 22 oz. That is a medium back in the United States. It is an interesting point that I noticed.
     Today marks the Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the dragon. Surprisingly, it is a big deal at USFQ (my university here). It turns out that they opened the university in 1988, a previous year of the dragon. The logo of the school incorporates a dragon as well and our school, surprisingly, has a bit of an Asian theme to it. Anyways, they had a huge celebration today outside of one of the buildings. I didn't get to attend the whole thing since I was in class and by the time I got out, I just wanted to go home. However, the way the school is built, we could still hear the festivities while sitting in our classroom. There was a local band that played which was really cool. They also sounded really good. The one thing I am sad that I missed though was the free cake and wine. That should have been a good enough excuse to end class early...just kidding. =P

    Well, I think that is all for now. I will post another entry if I feel I have more stories to tell. Chao!!!!

About a week after being here...

    Time for another entry. Since the last entry, I have now attended all my classes, taken more crazy buses, and visited both the historical and actual Equators.

    First, I think I will talk about my classes. My classes for this semester are Ceramics, Photography, Spanish Phonetics, and Social Problems of Ecuador ( a far cry from the Organic Chemistry and Biology that consumed my life last semester). Not to mention, if you hadn't guessed, my schedule for this semester is a mere 12 credits, another change from the 18 I would take in the United States. Anyways, I love all my classes, even though at times they may seem difficult due to the language difference. Oh yeah, but my Social Problems class is in English. The teacher who teaches the Spanish version wasn't teaching it this semester, but the English is a nice relief since I have that class at 4:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, this semester, I did not have to buy any textbooks for my classes. A nice way to save money. =) However, Photography will cost some money, since I have to buy special paper and other things when I turn in my projects. 

    The buses continue to be as packed as usual. This past week, for the first time, I had to stand on the bus from Cumbaya (where my school is located) to the Rio Coca station in Quito. Not that standing is bad, but when the bus driver is going around turns at speeds that we in the United States wouldn't dream of (on a mountain nonetheless), it is almost inevitable that you will have trouble keeping your balance. This was exactly what happened to me. I never actually fell down, but came close several times. I don't think I mentioned this before, but I have to take two buses to school and two buses to get back home. The total cost of all four buses: $1. Can you believe that? 

    This past Sunday, I went with a few of my friends to see the Equator. We first went to the historic one, which is not exactly the real Equator. This was the line that was determined back several hundred years ago. However, with GPS technology, they realized that this historic line was actually 240 meters off from the actual Equator. (Not bad though considering the technology back then.) After seeing the historic site, we walked to the place that had the GPS verified line. It was a really cool place though, because it had an outdoor museum that talked about various parts of the indigenous cultures of not only Ecuador, but other parts of Latin America. (We chose the option of receiving the tour in Spanish since we are here to learn it. =P) They also had some pretty cool experiments to show the competing forces of the two hemispheres. These included that water going down the drain will rotate in opposite directions depending on the hemisphere you are in and that it is very hard to keep your balance while walking with your arms out on the Equator line. Not to mention, I saw the same type of hummingbird there that I had seen at my school, and I actually got a photo of it. (I will post it later; I know it may not be the best photo, but it is not easy trying to get a picture of a hummingbird.) 

   Well, that is all for now. I will try to post again within a week of this entry. =) As we say to each other in Ecuador, chao!! (Bye) 

 

Random First Thoughts

      Well, I guess it is time to start my blog since I have been here for almost a week now. =P So let's see, first off, a brief statement about Quito. It is at 9000ft above sea level and it pretty much rains everyday (at least since I have been here) and that the driving here is crazy and chaotic (not to mention that it is hard to cross the street because, up until a few years ago, pedestrians did not have the right of way. So most of the time, you still won't get it.). Yeah I know super brief but if I think of more things I can add them later.
     Anyways, since arriving here I have learned how to take the bus to school, walked uphill to church (and I really mean walking up hill; you have no idea), tried new food, including mango juice which is quite yummy, and that is mainly it. Now for the random stuff......My college is so beautiful. For all my Wilmington friends, if you that UNCW was pretty, I think here is much better. But that could be just my opinion. I also got to see a very cute hummingbird today. I love birds....what can I say? =P And it was blue and greenish so it was really pretty and my friend and I got pretty close to it.
     A final note, back to the whole transportation thing, I don't think anything can be crazier than some of the buses in Ecuador. The first and last bus I have to take each day to school (which is basically the same route) can often be crowded with tons of people. I am not exaggerating when I say that often times, you feel like a sardine. Because no matter how full the bus is, there always seems to be a way for more people to fit on it. That is how I missed my bus stop on Monday afternoon after Orientation. =P Well, I think that is all for now. I will write more when I have new stories to tell.